‘My friend would be alive if medical help arrived fast’

Pradeep Gupta | TNN

Mumbai: A friend of the HSC student who died in the derailment has alleged that railway authorities were slow to reach help to the 19-year-old. Dhaval Lodaya was thrown out when the train derailed and he suffered severe head injuries. Sources said he did not get medical help for about 90 minutes. When he was taken to hospital, he was declared dead before admission. “We kept waiting for an ambulance or at least some help, but none arrived till more than an hour,” said his friend Jay Lodharia, who was travelling with him. “People who gathered there kept clicking pictures, but no one came to help us. Finally, two journalists gave us a dupatta and a towel, with which we made a makeshift stretcher. The ambulance that had arrived didn’t have a stretcher.” The dupatta belonged to Rajlaxmi Pujare, a journalist from Maharashtra Times, who was at the spot. The towel was given by photojournalist Anand More. “The ambulance stood some distance away and Dhaval had to be taken to it on the stretcher we made,” said Pujare. Many people who had been injured had to walk till they got vehicular transpor t to reach medical facilities. RELIEF OPERATIONS AFFECTED Victims complained that ambulances did not reach on time The derailment occurred around 2.50pm, while the ambulance reached the spot at 3.15pm, said a railway official HC’S GUIDELINES Rules for providing medical aid to railway accident victims: Station staff should provide first aid Stationmaster should call ambulance/taxi Victim should be shifted to nearest private/govt hospital within golden hour If it’s a private hospital, the railways should foot the bill CR’S MEASURES Central Railway has decided to demarcate space for ambulance parking at each of its 76 stations in Mumbai’s suburban division It will not charge parking fees It will compensate ambulance operators for ferrying accident victims to hospital STATIONS WITH AMBULANCES CR | CST, Kurla, Thane, Kalyan, Parel, Panvel, Ghatkopar WR | Churchgate, Bandra, Andheri, Borivli